DYUTVOBGA Chapter 15

Quentin’s performance ended, and next up was naturally Xue Mingzhu.

When he withdrew his gaze from the top of the pyramid, stood up, and walked down the steps, the trainees in the various class sections were still whispering amongst themselves.

“If the previous performance was too explosive, the one right after is so unlucky… and did you notice, Teacher Yang is so strict! Quentin danced so well, yet he still said Quentin’s moves weren’t very clear cut… ”

“But Teacher Chen and Teacher Lin are quite gentle. Luckily, the performance I prepared is only singing. As long as I don’t dance, Teacher Yang can’t criticize me, haha.”

“Just gentle in speech though, look at Liao Fei, isn’t he sitting in Class F now?”

“Who told him to choose Class A? If he can’t reach A, he can only go to F. Otherwise, with his original composition ability… he probably could have made it to Class B, right?”

The discussions among the trainees only gradually quieted down when Xue Mingzhu stepped onto the stage, but almost everyone was looking at him with sympathetic and pitying eyes.

….To perform right after a monster like Quentin, is really so unlucky.

“Hello, teachers,” Xue Mingzhu held the microphone, “I am Xue Mingzhu. The program I’m bringing today is a rap.”

Chen Shiyu and Vinki simultaneously picked up their microphones again.

The woman couldn’t help but laugh: “… This time, you go first, Teacher Vinki.”

“Ahem.” Vinki sheepishly adjusted the brim of his hat behind his head, “What I want to say might be the same as Teacher Chen.”

He looked up at Xue Mingzhu on the stage: “I just want to sigh in admiration, our program found many kids with particularly distinctive vocal tones this time.”

Chen Shiyu nodded in agreement: “Yes, that’s what I meant too. Mingzhu, your voice is very recognizable. I look forward to your performance.”

Xue Mingzhu: “Thank you, teachers.”

He took a pair of sunglasses from his clothes pocket, Lord his head and put them on, then gave an OK gesture to the program crew.

The highly rhythmic accompaniment started. The boy wearing gray-black distressed denim jacket twisted his neck left and right, his shoulders and neck vibrated twice with the drumbeat of the music, his arms moved flexibly along with it, and his whole person suddenly merged into the music.

He used a few improvised movements that matched the music style to instantly pull the audience into the performance atmosphere, then raised the microphone to his chin, and the first syllable he sang entered the beat perfectly.

Xue Mingzhu’s rap had an extremely strong personal style. He possessed a unique distinctive quality that set him apart from other rappers, which was very rare for an 18 year old.

His voice was a pure low-pitched, deep bass. While speaking, it was usually just deep, and not too hoarse, but when he rapped, he would intentionally emphasize the husky texture of his voice, making every line full of explosive power and pressure. Each line was bursting with a tearing-like intensity, making people’s blood boil.

A qualified rapper adjusts their stage presence according to the music style. Such an impactful musical style, of course, isn’t suitable for stationary singing.

Therefore, Xue Mingzhu’s body movements were very powerful.

He probably had never learned to dance, but people with good musical sense and strong motor skills naturally know how to use their body to keep the beat; every move was harmonious.

“… I remember now.”

Yang Siyi suddenly grabbed the arm of the person next to him, staring straight at Xue Mingzhu not far away, muttering: “He’s Internal Combustion Engine! That Internal Combustion Engine who won the national rapper competition youth group championship right after finishing the high school entrance exam”

“National rapper competition” is a common name.

In fact, it was a large-scale online and offline competition sponsored by the Yun Forum and Light Music, targeting rappers of all ages in China. It was the largest rapper event in Asia in the past decade, and its prestige was significant.

The age limit for the youth group was 15 to 18 years old. It was also the only group that allowed minors to participate. The number of rappers selected through national audials reached two thousand, including many trainees carefully cultivated by major entertainment companies.

However, no one expected that the championship trophy would be taken by a boy without company support, without established rappers campaigning for him, and was fighting alone with no background.

And this boy’s acceptance speech when he finally stood on the highly anticipated podium was actually:

“This championship trophy is a gift for my parents, um… I hope when I go home in a couple of days, they won’t be angry about my high exam results anymore after seeing the trophy.”

The 15-year-old Xue Mingzhu held his chin high, acting incredibly cocky, not like someone there to receive an award, but like he was coming to challenge everyone.

All the young rappers who had advanced to the finals below were glaring at him fiercely, afraid he would say something outrageous on stage, while simultaneously racking their brains thinking about how to diss back if they were targeted.

However, the boy whose face clearly read “Everyone here is trash” closed his eyes for a moment, raised the trophy, and said loudly…

“Dad! The belt really hurts when you hit people! You’re already this old, try to have less temper. I just messed up one exam, I’ll study hard in the future, so worry less!”

“Mom! We agreed before, if I win the championship, you can’t stop me from playing music! Adults need to keep their word. Liars have to swallow a thousand needles! No lying!”

The venue fell silent. Everyone looked in unison at the young couple in the front row of the audience, whose smiles were gradually fading.

The boy on stage also pretended to be calm and met his parents’ gaze. Noticing his father’s move to touch his belt, he subconsciously took half a step back, hugged the trophy, and spoke rapidly: “Thank you Light Music and Yun Forum, thank you Mentor XX for your care and guidance, thank you director, thank the program crew staff, thank the opponents and teammates below the stage, thank the 20 million viewers online in the live stream, thank the fan friends who support me…”

He finished a long string of thank-yous in one breath, then cleared his throat: “Ahem, I’ve said what needed to be said. Let me introduce myself one last time…I am Internal Combustion Engine, a new rapper. I’m very happy to meet you all on this program, thank you!”

The boy’s attitude was frank to the point of being arrogant, his eyes red yet in confidence and pride. His relaxed demeanor contrasted sharply with the second and third place winners who were weeping with joy on the podium.

Internal Combustion Engine…this was the stage name Xue Mingzhu chose after secretly signing up for the competition without his parents’ knowledge after the high school entrance exam.

The inspiration came from his third-year junior high history textbook. His declaration at the time was that he wanted to start the second industrial revolution in the rapper world, just like the internal combustion engine!

After that, Xue Mingzhu never used the name Internal Combustion Engine again. And it had been two years since he last participated in a rap-related variety show.

In these two years, he had never appeared in the public eye. His appearance had changed quite a bit compared to two years ago, so most trainees didn’t recognize him as the “Internal Combustion Engine” who won the championship three years ago.

“It really is Internal Combustion Engine… his rap style is so recognizable. I even followed that competition back then!”

“My parents really liked him back then. He attracted a lot of mom fans during that competition.”

“He’s amazing. As soon as he hit the stage, he exploded the venue. I remember many celebrities liked his final performance video that year.”

“But, wait… didn’t he later…collapse?”

The whispers offstage did not affect Xue Mingzhu’s performance.

High-speed syllables shot from his lips like bullets from a machine gun.

When the climax hit, he flung off his sunglasses, and a roar-like rap instantly exploded throughout the entire studio. Even the air conditioning temperature seemed to rise layer by layer.

The 18-year-old boy transformed into a swift and fierce lion running through the forest hunting prey. The scorching emotions were like blood splattering when tearing flesh, scalding people’s hearts until they tingled and went numb.

The earth also trembled with awe for it.

The performance ended.

Vinki at the mentor’s seat smiled broadly and clapped vigorously. He shook his head and sighed towards Yang Xu beside him, mouthing: “Talent, it’s really talent.”

“Thank you…” Xue Mingzhu caught his breath, “That’s all for my initial stage performance.”

Applause engulfed him like a tide.

Xue Mingzhu stood alone on the stage.

Facing this magnificent and sweeping familiar scene, his first reaction was not relaxation or excitement, but a kind of detached, dazed feeling, as if his feet couldn’t find solid ground.

What is there to be afraid of? What is there to worry about?

He said to himself in his heart, but his heartbeat grew faster and faster.

At this moment, his emotional fluctuations were even more intense than during his performance just now. His eardrums felt like they were about to burst from the pounding of his heartbeat, or perhaps he was simply experiencing tinnitus and auditory hallucinations…

Xue Mingzhu’s face was tense. He looked up, his gaze falling on the distant and unattainable seven thrones at the top of the pyramid, meeting the eyes of the black-haired boy in a suit sitting on the first throne.

He couldn’t see Quentin’s expression clearly, but those quiet green eyes, shimmering under the lights, were more striking than the wave composed of countless enthusiastic, clapping hands below.

For a moment, Xue Mingzhu suddenly couldn’t hear the deafening applause.

The heart in his chest, beating rapidly due to various factors, slowly calmed down, as if immersed in a pool of warm and cool water, perfectly soothing his anxious and restless stress response.

‘There’s nothing to be afraid of,’ he thought.

This time, he was no longer alone.

He was going to debut again as one-seventh of a group.

He would meet trustworthy, like-minded teammates. Together, they would face twisted malice and rumors, and together, they would welcome the honor and applause of millions.

“… Xue Mingzhu? Have you calmed down?”

Vinki vaguely noticed the boy’s unusual state and tentatively asked: “Do you want some water? How about a two minute break?”

Xue Mingzhu snapped back to his senses, picked up the sunglasses he had thrown on the ground, and bowed slightly to the four seniors at the mentor’s table: “It’s fine. No effect.”

Vinki joked with a smile: “That look in your eyes is quite imposing. It’s innate, right? Do you know what I most want to say after watching your performance?”

Xue Mingzhu shook his head.

“Senior, do you know?”

Vinki leaned over and put his hand on Yang Xu’s shoulder.

Yang Xu pushed him away: “Sit properly. If you have something to say, say it.”

“Alas, the waves behind drive on those ahead on the Yangtze River.”

Vinki raised his microphone high: “Trainees behind me, tell me what the next line is?”

“The front waves die on the beach…!”

The boys answered in unison, mixed with whistles and shouts.

“Nonono, I won’t die on the beach.”

Vinki wagged his finger: “Let’s get back to the main topic. Now, let me properly talk about your rap, student Xue Mingzhu.”

“First, the beat is great. Your phrasing, stress, and pauses blend wonderfully with the beat of the accompaniment and the overall rhythm of the music. This is praiseworthy; it shows you are a rapper with a very solid foundation.”

He changed his tone: “However, the shortcomings are also obvious. Your personal characteristics are very distinct, your stage presence is very strong, your vocal tone and style are also very fitting, but don’t you think your articulation is still a bit lacking?”

“Little Xue, did you, in pursuit of the explosive power of rap, forcibly increase your speed, sacrificing the clarity of your articulation to challenge a high-speed flow that you can’t quite handle yet?”

Vinki was undoubtedly a chatterbox in his area of expertise, and an exaggerated one at that.

Holding the microphone, he spoke freely and confidently: “Your rap before the climax was satisfying, and the articulation was clear and powerful, pulling at people’s scalps until they tingled. But the fast part after entering the climax made me start to feel…Oh my God, what are you saying? The swallowing of sounds went too far! If I didn’t have this lyric sheet in my hand, I’d think you, like Quentin, sang a song in a foreign language!”

“And these lyrics, they also lack a bit of punch. Luckily your stage presence was explosive enough to lift the entire venue, so no one paid attention to what exactly you rapped about.”

Vinki shook his head and sighed: “Anyway, if I were to give you a rating… guess, which class would I throw you into? In other words, which class do you think you deserve to be in?”

This senior from a boy band rapidly output a pile of content that landed on Xue Mingzhu’s head non-stop. The trainees behind hadn’t even reacted.

Wh-what? How did it suddenly become so harsh? Didn’t Xue Mingzhu perform quite well? This level of rap still isn’t satisfactory?

Everyone felt apprehensive: Oh my God! What are the teachers trying to do?!

Xue Mingzhu, however, was very calm. Even after being bombarded head-on, his expression remained unchanged.

He raised the microphone, glaring with his fierce-looking sanbai, and said in a low voice: “I think I deserve to be in Class A.”

Everyone: … Wow! So brave!

“Good!!!”

Vinki slammed the table, pointed at Xue Mingzhu, his smile brilliant: “Correct! I think so too, great minds think alike! I declare, you, Xue Mingzhu…Class A!”

Xue Mingzhu: “Thank you, teacher.”

Yang Xu spoke up quietly: “… That’s enough, VK. Ratings require discussion among all four mentors. Mingzhu, please wait a moment. The next trainee to perform can warm up and prepare in advance.”

The four mentors put down their microphones and gathered to discuss.

Vinki’s attitude towards the three senior mentors was still quite proper. He said in a low voice: “This A is fine, right? He’s already reached the level of a professional rapper. Although some parts weren’t handled perfectly, the flaws don’t obscure the virtues. And look at his resume, it’s quite substantial.”

Yang Xu grunted in agreement: “From the rap perspective, it’s definitely OK. But the problem is, Mingzhu is a pure rapper. He hasn’t received any training as a boy band trainee in the past. That is to say, he hasn’t specifically studied vocal music or dance.”

Vinki muttered: “… Senior, that’s not right. Singing rap well also requires high vocal skills. This kid, at most, hasn’t learned dance. His singing should be passable.”

Yang Xu was too lazy to pay attention to him. He looked up at the other two teachers: “Teacher Lin, this rap by Mingzhu is his original work, both lyrics and music. What are your thoughts?”

“… Different areas of expertise.” Lin Qifeng was silent for a few seconds. “It’s hard to judge.”

Chen Shiyu smiled: “Quentin’s song is in your field, right? How come we didn’t see you seriously evaluating him earlier?”

Hearing this, Vinki also looked over curiously: “Yes, Teacher Lin, what did you think of that… what was it, Libehart?”

“…”

Lin Qifeng was silent for an even longer time this time.

The man frowned deeply, and only after a long while said: “It’s very good. It’s a good song destined to be popular. It’s very inspiring, and he’s very talented.”

Under the surprised gazes of the other three mentors, he said in a low voice: “Quentin is a genius in music creation.”